VCC News

National Cancer Survivor’s Day

June is the time of year we celebrate National Cancer Survivor’s Day

We have all been touched by cancer--whether it be personally, through a family member or pet. June is the time of year that we celebrate the tremendous advances we have and continue to make in cancer therapy. June is the time we celebrate those individuals, people and pets, that are cancer survivors. 

I am reminded of one of our patients, a wonderful dog that just celebrated 18 months of being cancer free. This alone is reason enough for celebration, but her owner is also a cancer survivor--almost 18 years cancer free. 

These two individuals... Read More
Dog Fancy - New Direction in Cancer Care

An avid scuba diver and wildlife conservationist, Gerald S. Post, D.V.M., has labored to help save endangered species, from cheetahs and gorillas to Tasmanian devils. But the board-certified veterinary oncologist is best known for more than 20 years of work developing innovative approaches and pioneering efforts in the fight against cancer, the No. 1 natural cause of death in older dogs, according to the oncologist.

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New Canine Cancer Treatments Available

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Cancer isn’t just for humans.  It’s a big problem for pets too, and now new treatments are becoming available for our four legged friends.  3 On Your Side Health Reporter Stephanie Stahl has more on cancer cures for canines.It’s estimated that one third of  dogs, and one in every four cats will get cancer at some point in their lives.  But veterinarians are finding new ways to help pets live longer and better lives, with fewer side effects.

Meet Maizey, and Dakota.  Both pooches are battling cancer. “Had no appetite. She couldn’t keep anything down.  And unfortunately it got to the point where she couldn’t walk,” said Joan Brown, Maizey’s owner. Veterinarians treat between four and six million cases of canine cancer each year, using radiation and in Maizey’s case newer chemotherapy drugs, like Palladia, which targets certain molecules in... Read More
New cancer treatments keep pets alive longer

Veterinarians treat millions of case of canine cancer each year, but new treatments are helping pets live longer and better lives with fewer side effects than chemotherapy drugs and radiation.

Golden retriever Dakota needed a fast-growing lump removed at the age of 9. The vet followed up with a new treatment called Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), which he hopes will cure the dog's cancer.

"We can kill cancer cells with those dosages of radiation that spare all the normal tissues around that area," said veterinary oncologist Dr. Gerald Post.

Veterinarians are also using the new chemotherapy drug palladia, which targets and kills certain molecules in cancer cells.

One in three dogs and one in four cats will get cancer at some point in their lives, vets estimate. The warning signs of cancer in pets are similar to people – lumps that get bigger or change shape, unexplained bleeding and chronic weight loss.

  

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Clinical trials for pets occur in Connecticut - By WFSB Staff

You've likely heard about clinical trials as an option  for people diagnosed with cancer, but have you ever heard about clinical trials for your pet? Baxter the Boxer lives in East Hartford with his ‘pet parents' Joan Sevigny Cramer and her husband George. The playful pooch was less than lively not that long ago.  "He just didn't want to play.  He didn't want to do anything," George Cramer said.   That's because he had a tumor growing on his left front leg.  The family veterinarian told Baxter's owners that he was concerned. The veterinarian "implied that it was probably not a fatty tumor because of the blood that came out in his aspirating it with a needle," said Joan Sevigny Cramer. She asked her veterinarian if there were any clinical trials or research available that would help her beloved Baxter. The answer was yes.... Read More

 
Coffee Break: Dr. Post - by Alexa Cortese

Ask any pet owner and they’ll tell you that the word “pet” could be interchangeable with “family member.” The family dog is always more than just a dog — it is a friend, a sibling; it is a source of comfort, fun, and entertainment. That’s why it’s tough when our pets get sick. Nobody wants to go through the anguish of losing a pet, but it is comforting to know that should our pets ever have to face such a battle, there are many good hands out there to put them in. One of those pairs of hands belongs to Dr. Gerald Post of the Veterinary Cancer Center (The VCC) in Norwalk.... Read More
Top 5 things you should now about radiation therapy for your pet.

Finding out that your pet has cancer can often be a traumatic experience.  Most people have questions such as, “What can be done for my pets tumor?” or “Will treating my pets cancer cause a lot of pain and discomfort?”  In order to get the best possible treatment for your pet and for you, it is important to get as much good information as possible.  When it comes to radiation therapy for pets, many pet owners do not even know that radiation therapy is available.  In honor of May being Pet Cancer Awareness Month and in an effort to provide pet owners with as much information as possible we came up with these five important things that you should know about radiation therapy for your pet.

 

  1. Radiation is available for your pet, if their tumor is one that may respond.  In a recent survey (Farrelly, McEntee in press) we identified 66 facilities in the United States that have radiation therapy equipment to treat animals.  The VCC is happy to be the... Read More
May is Pet Cancer Awareness Month - by Dr. Gerald Post

Because 50% of dogs over 10 years of age die of cancer and because 4 to 8 million new cases of cancer in dogs and 4 to 6 million new cases of cancer in cats are diagnosed each year, pet parents consistently identify cancer as their number one health concern.

Awareness – having knowledge, informed of current developments

An Informed Pet Parent Can Make All the Difference: Advances in the prevention and treatment of pet – related cancers have developed rapidly in the last several years, and they offer hope to every pet & pet parent hoping to avoid or at least to effectively manage this disease?

Prevention – More information is now available on the genetic basis of cancer in pets.  While no breed is immune from cancer and love for a breed or particular pet is the most important reason to bring one home, an informed pet parent will do his or her research and know the breeds most likely to... Read More
Just Labs - Warning Signs

One day, because of a  genetic switch or the  passing of time, you  notice that your Lab is  “not herself.” You notice a  change in behavior or physical  appearance, and she may not be  interested in the things she used to love. Something  is wrong, and you have a sinking feeling over what  could be causing the change. Your local veterinarian  examines your Lab, runs some tests, and returns with  the diagnosis you never wanted to hear: cancer.

Your vet will have some courses of treatment available, but you may need to seek the expertise of veterinary specialists. The Veterinary Cancer Center (VCC) in Norwalk, Connecticut, is one such practice whose only mission is to treat cancer in pets. The 8,000-square-foot center is the “largest standalone veterinary cancer facility that encompasses a range of treatment therapies.... Read full article by Jillian LaCross
Hot off the Presses - New Study Shines Light On Radiation for Nasal Sarcomas

A new study published in the March/April edition of Veterinary Radiology and Ultrasound provides some very useful information about treating nasal sarcomas in dogs.  This study was entitled Survival Times for Canine Intranasal Sarcomas Treated with Radiation Therapy: 86 Cases (1996-2011), Sones et.al. Vet Radiol Ultrasound.  Nasal sarcomas comprise approximately 1/3 of nasal tumors in dogs and although previous papers have shown longer survival times for sarcomas, the number of patients treated in those papers has been limited. One exciting aspect of this study is how the authors used data from a number of institutions to be able to study a larger number of patients.  Many studies looking at the treatment of tumors in dogs and cats, do not include a large enough number of patients to be meaningful.  In the future, studies like this one will allow us to learn more about how to treat uncommon diseases.

Another critical piece of information from this study is that it confirms... Read More

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